Accident claims life of respected college professor

Funeral services were held in Huntington Monday for Jordan Wallace Hatch, 46, who died in a single-vehicle accident Wednesday on Gentry Mountain.

He was Department Head and Associate Professor of the Heavy Equipment and Trucking Department at USU Eastern. He held this position for almost 16 years.

"This is a terrible loss to the college and the community," said Chancellor Joe Peterson. He called Hatch a gifted educator, a great friend and a very hard worker. "We will sense his absence keenly."

Hatch's obituary is on page 10A of today's paper.

Hatch had been with friends on Gentry Mountain reseeding areas that had been burned in the Seeley Fire. On the return trip, shortly before 7 p.m., his vehicle left the road for some reason and plunged about 140 feet down a ravine.

According to the Emery County Sheriff's Department, Hatch was ejected from his vehicle and died at the scene.